The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1887-10-22
Drawing the Line.

NC blldt VI Iii0 ANARCHISTS at union
Hill, Hudson county, is drawing the line
where lawful free speech ends and laws
lessness begins. In his specious and
demagogical argument in favor OF the
Anarchists, Ex-Governor Leon Albeit
urged that the assembly broken up by
the police, on Sunday, October I'd, was a
lawful meeting, and that the action of
the police was in the nature AN assault,
and the action of the arrested men was
merely one of self-defence. He also said
that citizen should resist to the death
assaults like those of the police on that
day. One of the defendants, it will be
remembered, was crying "Blood Blood
when arrested. 1t was also in evidence
that woman, the wife of one of the New
York Anarchist leaders, stood on tne
sidewalk opposite the place of meeting
and when the rioters showed signs of
wavering, spurred them on by crying
Shame you towards !" addressing her
self to the Anarchists. The circular
calling the meeting referred to the law
fully constituted authorities as "a rab-
ble." The Chicago Anarchists were de-
scribed as -FOUR comrades ''seven in-
nocent men" who were to be 'judicially
murdered. The meeting was called to
concert measures to prevent the execu-
tion of the law upon the condemned men,
mr. NV 70 9TH
by appeals to violent measures. Yet ex-
Governor Albeit pleads that all this was
the lawful exercise of free speech; and
he denounces the action of the police as
one of the greatest outrages he ever heard
OF, and the persecution" Of the Anar-
chists. he declares, makes him "almost
ashamed of being a citizen of New Jer-
sey." In this case, Mr.. Abbett's per-
sonal sympathy with the Anarchists has
outrun his zeal as hired lawyer. He is
paid for his legal opinions. He volun-
teers his indignant sympathy
In the Union Hill affair, the Anarchists
were not arrested for an attempt to get
up an Anarchist meeting, but for resist.
ing the police; and the police were on
the ground for the purpose of preventing
an unlawful assembly. The proposed
assembly was unlawful because it was
called to instigate crime. To resist the
regular execution of the law is criminal.
The seven Anarchists are guilty of
capital offence. They have been tried,
convicted and condemned. The Union
Hill Anarchists insist that the men are
'inueeent, and the logical conclusion is
that they--the Union Hill Anarchists
believe that the Haymarket slaughter
was no murder; the men who had re-
peatedly threatened to kill the Chicago
Police, and who did, finally, kill several
of them, were guilty Of no crime. "Our
comrades" say the Union Hill Anar-
chists, fare seven innocent men. They
are to be judicially murdered. We will
resist this tyranny" If this action and
these declarations are not revolutionary,
we would be glad to know what consti-
tutes revolution. Prosecutor Winfield,
in his address forcibly said "When
free speech runs to firearms aud bombs,
it is time to draw the line" This is the
whole case in nutshell John Most
was sent to the penitentiary in New
York, for just this sort OF s'free speech
At a public meeting, he recommended
the use of firearms in resisting the police,
and he took one of the weapons with
him upon the platform, showed it to the
mob, and told them how much it cost
and how to use it. This was the natural
outcome of that Stree speech" which ex-
EGovernor Albeit advocates. And the
very next step would be the using of the
firearms and some such murderous on
slaught as that in which the brave Chi
bcago policemen lost their lives. It is
folly to debate this matter. Anarchy
must be put down with strong hand,
or we shall certainly have bloodshed and
riot These crafty emissaries of disorder
and destruction are familiarizing the
minds of the people with their nefarious
doctrines by all sorts of devices, so that,
the first step being taken, the next will
bring us face to face with Anarchy and
blood. 1t is time to draw the line.